Any word on the Dos Niner TT length? I am looking at the 18" model which has the following (advertised) horizontal TT length: 23.5"

I have always thought that Salsa 26er TT's were too short - I lean more towards "Fisher-esque" geometry. (The Paragon has a horizontal TT of 24".) But if the Dos Niner TT is really only .5" shorter than say a Fisher then that would seemingly work. Does anyone know how an 18" (and other sizes in general I guess) actually fits?

If you would ride a 17.5 in a Fisher with a 24" effective top-tube than a Salsa Dos Niner in an 18" with a 23.5 TT would be the way to go. The extra .5" or 12.7mm can be taken up with a 10cm or so longer stem. Fisher's Genesis geometry has its reasons, and I am sure it works great for some body types, but personally I don't subscribe to it. You're right on the Salsa A la Carte it does have a shorter top-tube when compared to the rest of traditional mountain frames in the industry. I can assure you however that the Scandium frames have longer TT's, including the Dos Niner.

I've been on a 20" for a bit now and love the ride. It doesn't bob with each pedal stroke like the Moots Y's, but the dampening it does have makes for a great ride. An excellent trade-off to a Sus-post on a hardtail. Takes the edge off.

Thanks for the insight, that's exactly what I had in mind. I cannot stand that old school short TT geometry (which it sounds like isn't really an issue in the 29er world) like an Ala Carte but I don't absolutely need Genesis either. I love the softtail idea - just enough to take the edge off. I had decided to go with an Orbea 29er but I think the DosNiner is the way to go - thanks again.